Scribd
Upload
30 views

HW2

This document contains responses from a student named Vũ Hạnh Trang to questions about teams and group dynamics. In response to question 1, the student describes how groupthink can occur when groups prioritize harmony over dissenting opinions. They recommend emphasizing inclusion of diverse viewpoints to avoid groupthink. For question 2, the student says they usually play a planner role by considering alternatives and preventing rushed decisions. They prefer small teams for better work distribution and control over larger teams. The differences between being a team leader and member are also outlined. Lack of in-person interaction due to the pandemic made focus, goal-setting, and conflict resolution difficult on one observed team.

Uploaded by

Trang VU
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
30 views

HW2

This document contains responses from a student named Vũ Hạnh Trang to questions about teams and group dynamics. In response to question 1, the student describes how groupthink can occur when groups prioritize harmony over dissenting opinions. They recommend emphasizing inclusion of diverse viewpoints to avoid groupthink. For question 2, the student says they usually play a planner role by considering alternatives and preventing rushed decisions. They prefer small teams for better work distribution and control over larger teams. The differences between being a team leader and member are also outlined. Lack of in-person interaction due to the pandemic made focus, goal-setting, and conflict resolution difficult on one observed team.

Uploaded by

Trang VU
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Name: Vũ Hạnh Trang

Class: K19B
Student ID: 1605136
1. Why do you think teams and other groups experience groupthink? What
can a group do to avoid groupthink?
- Groupthink is a tendency for decision-making groups to suppress opposing
viewpoints to preserve group harmony. There are many reasons that
groupthink is prevalent among decision-making teams.
+ Individual team members experience the need for approval from other
team members, which is supported by the common human desire for
acceptance.
+ Individual team members experience the need for approval from other
team members, which is supported by the common human desire for
acceptance.
+ The main purpose of teams is to achieve a common goal, and anything
that interferes with successfully achieving the goal is avoided at all costs.
+ A group of individuals often want to minimize conflict between team
members to maintain a pleasant environment, and the most common
instigator of conflict is disagreement.
+ Teams often have a limited number of resources and time to achieve a
goal, which makes teams look for any way to reach a consensus while
preserving resources and time.

- It’s possible to circumvent groupthink. Responsibility for doing so lies in


leadership’s willingness to create an open and methodical space where
ideas can be discussed openly and rationally.
Some common ways to avoid the problem:
+ Companies should emphasize inclusion over assimilation, as well as points
of view that compete with and dissent from popular opinion.
Decision-makers should identify and examine any unspoken rules in their
organizations.
+ Group members should try to continuously acknowledge any conscious or
unconscious biases they may possess.
+ Boards of directors should hire those who want others to succeed and are
not selfish or hardheaded.
+ Groups should practice formal and effective meeting procedures.
+ Companies should emphasize the continual rebuilding of cohesion after a
dissenting conversation.
2. Which type of role do you usually play in a group or team? Describe the
activities you perform in this role.
I usually play a planner role in a group or team. In this role, I must think
through the steps that need to be taken and look for the best way to
accomplish a task. Moreover, I had to encourage the consideration of
alternatives and prevent the group from taking action too quickly.

3. Recall a time when you were a member of a small team. Then recall when
you were a member of a large team. Which did you prefer and why?
I like the smallest team possible. You dramatically increase the time and
energy wasted for each additional person on the team. Having a diverse,
high-quality group of people on a team can be great for some projects, but
most of the teams I've been on are overcrowded. From that experience, I
find that working with a small team makes it easier to divide the work and
support each other more easily. Of course, it will also be more convenient
for the team leader to control the work. Regardless of the size of the group,
though, a good leader is crucial to dominating those trying to take over. Big
teams are easily deflected and divided. Control is extremely important for
larger teams because there are so many people that can hijack the agenda.
That is the main reason that teams can fail in their goals.

4. Have you ever been a team leader? Compare being a team leader to being
a member of the team.
I have been a team leader. In my experience, I see some differences
between a team leader and a team member.
A Team Lead oversees the Team's leadership responsibilities. These may
include but are not limited to management of the Team’s profile page and
settings, as well as management of the team members and addition or
removal of Members from a Team. A Team Lead can also create new
projects and invite team members to join the project. They are also the
main point of contact between a Hirer and the Team Members for all
queries, and the point person to escalate and mediate any issues between
the Team and a Hirer.
Team members are members of a team that is led by the Team Lead. They
can request to join a team and communicate with the rest of the team.
They can also request to join new projects and/or be removed from a team.
However, they cannot amend or delete a Team’s profile or post Projects to
the Team. To communicate with a Hirer, the Team Members must raise
their queries via the Team Lead, who will then escalate the matter(s) to the
Hirer.

5. Think about an ineffective team you participated in or observed. What


prevented that team from being effective?
I have been a member of a distributed team when we have to face the
covid 19 pandemic. At that moment, I found my team ineffective. Because
we could not meet in person, we had to meet through MS Teams software.
That is why it is difficult for us to focus on time and also cannot set specific
daily goals for each individual because we do not know everyone's work.
The members are also less attached to each other and they feel bored and
indifferent to work and teammates. The resolution of the conflict of ideas
between team members is also interrupted because as long as they want,
they can turn off the meeting on the computer and not listen to anything
more. Since then, the motivation of the other members has also been lost. I
think at the time, we couldn't think of a solution and our teamwork failed
miserably.

You might also like